UConn’s Paige Bueckers is the only freshman among the 15 female college basketball players to participate in the Wood Award national vote, which was released Saturday.
South Carolina striker Aliyah Boston and Stanford guard Haley Jones were the only other subclasses on the list. Stanford was the only school with multiple representatives, as senior guard Kiana Williams was also included in the top 15.
The Pac-12 led the way with four players in the national ballot, including Arizona conference player of the year Aari McDonald and UCLA senior teammate Michaela Onyen.
The SEC and Big 12 each had three players on the ballot. Louisiana’s Dana Evans, who was named ACC’s Player of the Year earlier this week for the second consecutive season, is one of seven seniors ranked in the top 15 by Rhyne Howard, the ‘year of the SEC for the second consecutive season, is one of five juniors.
Bueckers has led UConn to a 21-1 record and to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 rankings. Earlier this week, Bueckers joined Maya Moore as the only women she swept with the award-winning players of Big East and freshmen of the same season. Bueckers leads UConn in scoring (19.8 PPG), assists (6.2 APG), steals (2.4 SPG) and three-point shooting (47.6%).
Texas ’Charli Collier, a junior eligible for the draft and No. 1 scheduled for the 2021 WNBA draft, was also included in the national vote.
The Wooden Award for Best Female College Basketball Player was created in 2004. Sabrina Ionescu, of Oregon, won the award in 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Wood Award All-America team will be announced in late March, and will be revealed the 2021 winner after the April NCAA tournament.